US equities came under pressure in the first quarter of 2022 with the S&P 500 suffering its first quarterly decline since the depths of the pandemic in March 2020. While the Fed’s hawkish policy pivot dominated the headlines …
US equities were higher in 2021 with the S&P 500 up for a third straight year. There were a number of big themes in focus during the year. Covid vaccinations formed a key piece of the bullish narrative, particularly over the first several months of the year.
The majority of equity indices ended down for the third quarter of 2021 though the S&P 500 put up a positive return for a sixth straight quarter. For most of the quarter, markets performed well against the background of easy financial conditions…
Equity markets posted strong returns in the second quarter of 2021 as a substantial decline in U.S. COVID-19 cases combined with a fast-paced economic reopening across the country led to a surge in economic growth that helped stocks rally to new highs over the past three months.